You scratch out a living day-to-day, week in and week out. You push your service staff to accomplish as much as they can from every customer (within reason, of course). You think you’re having a fantastic month. You get to the end of the month and check out your DOC’s bottom line. That decimal must be in the wrong place, right?

Whether that’s your experience or not, the point is that there’s never enough money left in the pot at the end of the month. As soon as you think you’ve done the best you can, someone from above (we’re talking dealer principal or GM) doesn’t wait more than a couple moments to ask you how you’ll do better next month.

And you know deep inside, it’s true. There’s always money left on the table. There are opportunities that can kick your sales up another notch. There are possibilities that could make your net rocket through the stratosphere.

All it takes is one small change to increase your profits month over month. There’s no magic formula to spending less on expenses and increasing income without changing course at all. In the automotive industry, if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s this:

Status Quo is not an option.

It’s not good enough to be content with how you’re doing. You have to strive to do better, and it’s not just for yourself. Unless you’re the one signing the checks, you have someone you answer to; someone who didn’t get where they are by not pushing to be better in business.

And another thing: once you achieve it, you’ll need to keep doing it month after month after month. You know it’s true, probably from past experiences. Any changes you make need to become second nature. They need to be deeply engrained in your staff or you’ll find a quick, successful blitz followed by a landslide of effort.

Before getting into your hidden sources of income, let’s look at how to successfully roll out an upsell or additional service offering.

• Get your team on board. Anyone who’s involved with the upsell NEEDS to know the value the service holds. They need to know the benefits, who it’s for, and why it’s important. They don’t need to be totally sold on its necessity, but they need to be sold out on providing it to your customers.
• Get your team motivated. Just telling your staff to do something might see a result for a few days or a few weeks but won’t develop an ongoing habit. Show them how the increase in sales will improve their income over the month or year. Provide a spiff for a set time period to kickstart their progress.
• Track your results. Find a way of measuring your results in a reliable, accurate way. Create a specific op code to use on the work order if you can. Or, have your staff members track their own. If there’s an incentive offered for it, you can count on them to accurately keep track of their own.

Here are a few places you could find a value-added upsell or opportunity.

The Detail Bay

Most dealerships wash their customer’s cars during a service visit, and if you don’t, you should. But try turning this expense into a money-maker. Offer detailing packages to your customers at the service desk. You’ll find a simple wash and vacuum package is popular among your clients. Who among us would wash their own car when we could pay someone else a modest price to do it?

There’s a lot of dealers who already sell car washes and detailing, but you could always be busier in that department. If you need to hire another body to pick up the slack, it’s a low-cost solution for a decent profit. And customers with clean cars are happier, so CSI should benefit too.

Stone Chip Repairs

One of the most basic, easy repairs a body shop can do is a stone chip repair on a windshield. It’s so easy, even your service department can take care of it with almost no training required. The repair kit is inexpensive and you can offer windshield stone chip repairs at a competitive price. Even if you’re a few dollars more than the glass repair shop down the street, your customers will choose you because they’re already in your shop.

Your advisors will have an easy time with this upsell too. If they see stone ships on their walkaround, they can explain to the customer how an inexpensive stone chip repair can prevent a costly windshield replacement down the road.

Wheel Alignments

Anyone who’s been in the service department game for any length of time has done wheel alignment pushes. But, maybe it’s time for another one. Selling wheel alignments doesn’t just get that one service – it opens up opportunities for even more upsells. Once you have it on the hoist, you can sell required steering repairs, suspension repairs, tire services and replacement, and brake services. You can even advise on leaks, maybe converting on that as well.

This one is a cash cow. You’ll get the most return on your spiff investment here by far, especially if your advisors are strong and can sell the work your technicians advise.

Accessories

Typically, accessories are a competitive market, but the dealership has the advantage initially. On newer cars that are in for service, customer pride runs hot. Have an accessory display at the service desk so your advisors can easily show your customers features that might be desirable for their new vehicles. You can even offer a discount to certain demographics if necessary.

Your manufacturer has targets for your accessory sales, and you can achieve them with a bit of strategy.

Whether you use one or more of these ideas or come up with other ideas on your own, finding ways to add to your bottom line should be a regular step for you. Implement a new idea three or four times a year so your staff doesn’t feel overwhelmed by change.

What upsells have worked well for you? Chime in with your successful (and unsuccessful) sales opportunities.